Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Sen Durbin and General Petraeus

GOP research which has gotta make you wonder how Durbin can look General Petaeus in the face.

Democrats Were Wrong On General Petraeus In 2007,

Can They Be Trusted To Get It Right In 2010?

Gen. Petraeus Seems To Enjoy Broad Support Among Democrats This Time Around. “Gen. David Petraeus is now the darling of the Democrats. Having been picked by President Barack Obama to lead U.S. efforts on the ground in Afghanistan, Petraeus, the architect of the surge in Iraq, is being praised by the Democrats from pillar to post.” (Peter Roff, “The Democrats Were Against Petraeus Before They Were For Him,” US News’ Politics And Policy, 6/24/10)

Sen. Harry Reid Said Petraeus “Isn't In Touch” With Reality Of Iraq. “Iraq -- I repeat -- the bloodiest three months of the war have just been completed. We're now back up to a thousand attacks a day in Iraq. And for someone, whether it's General Petraeus or anyone else, to say things are great in Baghdad isn't in touch with what's going on in Baghdad, even though he's there and I'm not.” (Sen. Harry Reid, Press Conference, The Capitol, 6/14/07)

Sen. Reid Accused Gen. Petraeus Of Providing Information That “Have Not Proven To Be Factual.” SEN. REID: “I first met General Petraeus when I went to Iraq. At that time he was training the Iraqi troops. He told us at that time it was going great, that they'd be able to take over the country themselves. That was three years ago or thereabouts. He's made a number of statements over the years that have not proven to be factual.” (Sen. Harry Reid, Press Conference, Senate Radio-TV Gallery, 9/7/07)

Sen. Durbin Accused Gen. Petraeus Of “Manipulating The Statistics.” Sen. Durbin: “By carefully manipulating the statistics, the Bush-Petraeus report will try to persuade us that violence in Iraq is decreasing and the surge is working.” (Sen. Durbin, Remarks To The Center For National Policy, Washington, D.C, 9/7/07)

And Condescendingly Referred To Gen. Petraeus’ Report As The “Bush-Petraeus Report.” Sen. Durbin: “Now, despite the growing list of independent reports and military experts who say the president is wrong, he is prepared to tell the nation again that his strategy in Iraq is succeeding. We know what the Bush-Petraeus report will say: The surge is working, be patient. The reality? Despite heroic efforts by American troops, the Bush surge is not working.” (Sen. Durbin, Remarks To The Center For National Policy, Washington, D.C, 9/7/07)

Sen. Boxer Accused Petraeus Of Painting A “Rosy Scenario” Of The Iraq War And Told Him To “Consider That Others Could Be Right.” “We are sending our troops where they’re not wanted, with no end in sight, into the middle of a civil war, into the middle of the mother of all mistakes. Please, General, don’t do what you did in 2004 when you painted a rosy scenario. Consider that others could be right.” (Sen. Barbara Boxer, “Boxer Asks General Petraeus To Take Off Rose-Colored Glasses And Face Realities In Iraq,” Press Release, 9/11/07)

Sen. Kent Conrad Accused Petraeus Of Being “Overly Optimistic” In His Report On The Iraq War. “Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., says Gen. David Petraeus' report on Iraq is ‘overly optimistic.’… Petraeus, the commanding general of the war, told Congress on Monday that last winter's buildup in U.S. troops had met its military objectives "in large measure," and said he envisions the withdrawal of roughly 30,000 U.S. troops by next summer… Conrad said he sees little progress.” (Mary Clare Jalonick, “North Dakota Democrats Criticize Iraq Report,” The Bismarck Tribune, 9/10/07)

Sen. Jack Reed Accused Petraeus Of Not Being Objective In His Report Surge. DAVID WELNA: “And Rhode Island Democrat Jack Reed, who also visited Iraq during the break, said he does not expect an independent assessment from the architect of the troop surge, General Petraeus.” SEN. JACK REED: “Ultimately, it'll the president's report - the president views. I can't see him coming in here and differing from the president. So, I don't think he'll be objective. I think what he'll be is careful to argue that the surge has been a success.” (Michele Norris and Melissa Block, “Democrats Question Credibility Of Iraq Reports,” NPR, 9/5/07)

Reed Also Accused Petraeus Of “Playing A Political Role For The President.” DAVID GREGORY: “Critics charge it has fallen on Petraeus to sell a strategy that a weakened president no longer can.” SEN. JACK REED: “In many respects, I think Petraeus is playing a political role for the president. He is a splendid officer, a good soldier.” (NBC’s “Nightly News,” 9/7/07)

Sen. Whitehouse Suggested That Petraeus Had “Conflicting Loyalty” In Serving The White House And Serving The Country. “[P]eople who are appointed to high positions in government by a president, sort of inherently have a conflicting loyalty between the desire to please the president who appointed them and to stay on the team because it’s wonderful to be important and on the team and all that good stuff. And on the other hand, particularly where the president’s view is in conflict with the interests of the country … [H]ow General Petraeus chooses to balance those conflicting prerogatives is up to him…” (Nico Pitney, “Sen. Whitehouse: Petraeus Has ‘Conflicting Loyalty,’ Independent Iraq Report Needed,” Think Progress, 6/8/07)

Sen. Schumer Issued A Press Release Stating “The Bush-Petraeus Surge Had Failed To Meet Its Objective.” “Schumer noted that by the President's own measure-Bush originally declared the goal of the surge was to give Iraq's central government ‘breathing room’ to make progress on political reconciliation-the Bush-Petraeus surge had failed to meet its objective. ‘The government is suffocating while the surge goes on. It doesn't have breathing room,’ Schumer said.” (Press Release, “Sen. Schumer: Bush Hype On Anbar Doesn't Vindicate Surge Strategy,” Office Of Senator Schumer, 9/5/07)

And Described The Surge As “A Policy Of Last Resort. This Is A Policy Of Desperation.” (Press Release, “Sen. Schumer: Bush Hype On Anbar Doesn't Vindicate Surge Strategy,” Office Of Senator Schumer, 9/5/07)

Sen. Sherrod Brown “Lashed Out” At Petraeus’ Testimony Saying “Stay The Course Is Not A Plan.” “Sen. Sherrod Brown, the region's only Democrat, lashed out at Petraeus' testimony, saying the government has lost its focus on the war on terrorism… ‘Stay the course is more of the same. Stay the course is not a plan,’ said Brown, of Lorain.” (Malia Rulon, “Local Lawmakers React To Progress Report On Iraq War,” The Cincinnati Enquirer, 9/11/07)

Sen. Blanche Lincoln Said Petraeus’ Plan For Iraq Was A “Nonstarter.” “Count Sen. Blanche Lincoln among the unimpressed. Petraeus' plan is ‘too small a step,’ she said. ‘It's kind of a nonstarter.’ Lincoln called the proposal a ‘forced hand,’ noting that the military cannot sustain the escalation past July.” (Alex Daniels, “Testimony On Iraq Fails To Satisfy State Democrats,” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 9/12/07)

Senator Webb Said He Would Ignore Petraeus’ Report. WEBB: “I don't care what the report says next week. I don't care what the report says in September.” (Press Conference, Senate Democrats Hold A News Conference On Iraq, 7/9/07)

During Hearing, Then-Sen. Biden Told Petraeus That The Surge Was Failing And That It Was Time To “Start Bringing Troops Home.” “General Petraeus: the American military cannot sustain a war in Iraq with no end in sight. The American people will not support an indefinite war whose sole remaining purpose is to prevent the situation in Iraq from becoming even worse. It is time to turn the corner… We should stop the surge and start bringing troops home.” (Sen. Joe Biden, “BIDEN: We Should Stop The Surge And Start Bringing Troops Home,” Press Release, 9/11/07)

Then-Sen. Obama Told Petreaus “The Time To End The Surge And To Start Bringing Our Troops Home Is Now – Not Six Months From Now.” (Sen. Barack Obama, “Obama Addresses Foreign Relations Committee Hearing With General Petraeus And Ambassador Crocker,” Press Release, 9/11/07)

During Hearing Sen. Hillary Clinton Called Petraeus “The De Facto Spokesmen For What Many Of Us Believe To Be A Failed Policy.” (Sen. Hillary Clinton, “Senator Clinton Questions General David Petraeus And Ambassador Ryan Crocker On Iraq At Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing,” Press Release, 9/11/07)

Sen. Kerry Said Petraeus’ Iraq Strategy Was “Military Version Of The Movie ‘Groundhog Day.’” “Senator John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, said yesterday that Petraeus's plan puts the United States ‘back to the starting line… It's the military version of the movie “Groundhog Day” to return to the troop levels before the president launched an ill-advised escalation,’ Kerry said.” (Farah Stockman and Bryan Bender, “Bush Set To Endorse Plan For Troop Cuts - Conditions In Iraq Must Be Favorable, Aide Says,” The Boston Globe, 9/12/07)

No comments:

"Reform has a tendency to put all but the biggest temperaments in a cocksure intellectual attitude -and that attitude puts one terribly out of harmony with the great underlying life forces. The gods take their revenge on the cocksure.